At St. Edward the Confessor, we believe that parental encouragement and support for learning activities at home, combined with parental involvement in schooling, is critical to children’s education. A growing body of research shows that building effective partnerships between parents, families and schools to support children’s learning leads to improved learning outcomes. Parents are the first and continuing educators of their children. 
Research has shown that parental engagement (of various kinds) has a positive impact on many indicators of student achievement, including:

• Higher grades and test scores
• Enrollment in higher level programs and advanced classes
• Lower drop-out rates
• Higher graduation rates
• A greater likelihood of commencing tertiary education.

Beyond educational achievement, parental engagement is associated with various indicators of student development. These include:

• Better social skills
• Improved behaviour
• Better adaptation to school
• Increased social capital
• A greater sense of personal competence and efficacy for learning
• Greater engagement in school work
• A stronger belief in the importance of education.